Attorney Coaching: An Important Tool from Integration through Advancement | Blogs | Foley Career Perspectives

When we talk about the attorney development lifecycle – from the time attorneys join a firm through their subsequent advancement within the firm – we’re really talking about the processes and resources that an organization brings to bear to help these attorneys optimize their individual efforts to navigate and grow their careers.

The firm’s recruiting and human resources teams may assist with recruiting and initial onboarding and training, while the professional development team will be instrumental in connecting attorneys to their practice group and mentors, delivering skills and substantive training programs, and administering the performance evaluation and work allocation process. Attorneys may also be provided support through DEI and well-being initiatives, as well as business development training as they progress within the firm.

In today’s highly competitive and in-flux market for talent, many firms are making a significant investment in talent development. But how do you ensure that attorneys maximize these development resources?

One big idea that Foley’s Director of Coaching Anjali Desai recently co-presented on at the NALP 2022 Annual Education Conference is that coaching skills can be leveraged by a variety of individuals within the firm during their various touchpoints with attorneys. While some firms like Foley offer dedicated in-house executive coaching services, we can further help attorneys bring more intentionality and direction to their careers by arming recruiting, diversity, business development, and other business professionals at the firm with coaching skills.

Anjali Desai Foley

Desai and the other presenters (pictured here) talked through a number of coachable moments at pivotal points during an attorney’s onboarding, integration, and advancement processes. They shared – and had attendees practice – basic coaching skills such as listening, acknowledging, validating, and asking open-ended questions.

At Foley, Desai often works in coordination with recruiting, professional development, DEI, and other internal teams to assist with attorney integration and advancement through various professional development frameworks. This approach complements the traditional 1:1 coaching that Desai offers to attorneys at Foley to co-create with them a path forward to uncover their intrinsic motivations, harness their innate strengths, and foster planning and accountability.

To learn more about our Director of Coaching Anjali Desai and the attorney coaching services we offer at Foley, listen to this episode of Foley’s The Path & The Practice podcast.

This blog is made available by Foley & Lardner LLP (“Foley” or “the Firm”) for informational purposes only. It is not meant to convey the Firm’s legal position on behalf of any client, nor is it intended to convey specific legal advice. Any opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Foley & Lardner LLP, its partners, or its clients. Accordingly, do not act upon this information without seeking counsel from a licensed attorney. This blog is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Communicating with Foley through this website by email, blog post, or otherwise, does not create an attorney-client relationship for any legal matter. Therefore, any communication or material you transmit to Foley through this blog, whether by email, blog post or any other manner, will not be treated as confidential or proprietary. The information on this blog is published “AS IS” and is not guaranteed to be complete, accurate, and or up-to-date. Foley makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation or content of the site. Foley expressly disclaims all other guarantees, warranties, conditions and representations of any kind, either express or implied, whether arising under any statute, law, commercial use or otherwise, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement. In no event shall Foley or any of its partners, officers, employees, agents or affiliates be liable, directly or indirectly, under any theory of law (contract, tort, negligence or otherwise), to you or anyone else, for any claims, losses or damages, direct, indirect special, incidental, punitive or consequential, resulting from or occasioned by the creation, use of or reliance on this site (including information and other content) or any third party websites or the information, resources or material accessed through any such websites. In some jurisdictions, the contents of this blog may be considered Attorney Advertising. If applicable, please note that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Photographs are for dramatization purposes only and may include models. Likenesses do not necessarily imply current client, partnership or employee status.